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@Bill_Roose: The #RedWings have placed veteran forward Mikael Samuelsson on waivers today. Right decision I think

*runs into thread* *throws confetti* *runs out of thread*

I hope it rains and the NHL learns their lesson about sunbelt blah blah blah and that too much of something is not good. 1 Winter Classic and 1 Heritage Classic. Done.

Took management only half a season to realize what the fans believed all along.

Finally, a good roster move decision! Cleary next and we'll be getting somewhere.

And so draws to an end the Mikael Samuelsson era, not with a bang, but with a whimper. To all those thinking he'll not report to GR and will retire - dream on. All the guy has to do is ride buses for 3 months and he picks up another $1.5M What an absolutely brutal contract. 2 years?? Why Kenny, why? $3M per year? ?? Why Kenny, why? NTC?? Why Kenny why? Why could you not give a 35 year old with no leverage, a 1 year contract for $1.5M and no NTC????? Its not like you were in a bidding war for the guys services!!!

What? Not a lot of interest in hockey in LA? Too many outdoor games? Nothing like taking a good idea and ruining it with overexposure Bettman, you filthy little money grubbing troll.

Its a shame they are overdoing this really, its kind of like knowing there is going to me a multi car pile up just outside your window you have to watch. I have seen enough though looks too un natural to me and the puck is bouncing all over the place like a rubber ball. Im glad to see most people dont like it, seems most of us agree this game is too tacky.

I don't mind the location so much as I mind the number of outdoor games, it diminishes the novelty.

Specifically I was surprised by the raise AND the term AND the NTC. Seems like one or two of those should've made the deal more favorable, but apparently not. Holland finally throws cash around to bring in a free agent and he does it for friggin Samuelsson.

I think John Tortorella has a better chance of winning a Nobel Peace Prize than Sammy has of getting picked up on waivers.

its like Kenny has held his hand up and admitted he made a complete b##ls up with the signing of Sammy. If he had given him a deal worth $1.5m per year then maybe it wouldn't have been so bad but $3m a year was a major overpayment.

There's definitely too many outdoor games and having Kiss play was awful, but the snobbery in this thread is hilarious. And people aren't being honest with themselves about the level of play in the Winter Classic under those conditions. Also, a few people don't seem to realize the Los Angeles Kings have been in the NHL for 47 years.

I don't think that's confirmed yet, that's just how it looked like from practice yesterday. Still with Franzen returning someone has to sit, and the fact they waived Sammy instead of sending down Jurco/Sheahan point towards scratching Cleary.

one down, two to go...

Man, the Sabres/Blue Jackets game earlier was better than this.

This game is actually embarassing to hockey Theyre trying so hard and pulling out every stop possible and its just awkward

I think we will see a different Weiss when he comes back.

Could an offer of a coaching position be right around the corner?

bertuzzi and cleary scratched for the same game? AND NOW THIS!? WOOOOOOOOOO

I like this because they chose to dump Sammy rather than send down a kid who's been playing great instead!

I have never personally bought any autographed Wings pucks, but I have a few that I got signed in person while having the rare pleasure of meeting some of the players. Brendan Shanahan - 1997 Cup Champion Puck Steve Yzerman - Official Game Puck Chris Osgood - Official Game Puck Pavel Datsyuk - Graphic Red Wings Puck Slava Kozlov - Atlanta Thrashers Practice Puck I felt like Kozlov was honorable mention as a former Wing, I used to live in Atlanta and went to Thrashers practice a lot. There was literally 5-7 fans there at most so there was always an opportunity to meet, talk to, and get autographs from players. This particular day he flipped me a practice puck and I got him to sign it afterwards. Luckily for me, I also received another one and got Kovalchuk to sign one side and Hossa to sign the other. It was a great experience with a few former Wings and a superstar. Datsyuk and Osgood came from an opportunity to get back next to the locker room after a home game, my best friends grandmother was on a health decline and her daughter (My friends mother) had contacted the JLA executives saying it was one of her final wishes to be able to meet Chris Osgood. He agreed, met with us, signed a bunch of stuff, took some pictures and spent a solid 30 minutes hanging out. Datsyuk just kind of showed up with a big smile on his face, gave her a big hug and signed a bunch of stuff for us also, it was incredible. She has since passed away and was buried with her autographed Osgood jersey.

That's on the goalie, the refs only check to see if the goalies are ready to go at the start of periods, otherwise you gotta be ready to go like everyone else unless you've talked to ref about fixing something.

Well played sir, well played

I'm pretty high on our prospect pool. Why? Becase the talent, yes, but mostly because we're good at picking and developing. I get that we don't have any obvious SUPERSTARS!!! in the immediate pipeline, but...when was the last time we really did? I mean guys that we KNEW were going to be HUGE. Franzen has been a consistent top-six producer and was a force to be reckoned with earlier in his NHL career. Was anyone jumping for joy when we drafted him? Kid SUPERSTARS!!! are exceedingly rare. And they haven't been our bread and butter for awhile now. We try to get a number of solid players and one or two gems. That's doable. Hell, Tatar's already making a case for himself as a future 40-goal scorer. As a point of comparison, Franzen had 16 points in his first season with the Wings (12 goals, 4 assists). About Pulkkinen, because everyone seems to hate him - he's Nyquist-quick, is a pure sniper (something we absolutely, positively do not have on the current roster), and competes very, very hard (e.g. can take a lot of abuse and just keep on going). Small? You bet. Facing a real uphill battle at the NHL level? Without a doubt. But every player starts as a prospect. (Terrible argument, I know.) What's wrong with Glendening? I like what he's brought to the team. Hasn't scored, but he's not going to be a scorer at the NHL level. He's going to be a bottom-six grinder. There's a bit of Helm in him.